Catch ’em all again! New Pokémon Switch game anticipated to be released as early as this year

Company’s recruitment page tells us we won’t have long to wait to collect the little critters all over again.

It’s been barely two years since Pokémon GO took the world by storm with its unique augmented reality gameplay, which later received an additional “Raid Battle” upgrade to breathe new life into the title.

A new Pokémon title hasn’t arrived on the Nintendo Switch yet, but just like how my mysterious Pikachu plushie always appears when I least expect it, it’s only a matter of time before the creature-catching game turns up on the console.

Good news is, Twitter user @pixelpar seems to have stumbled across a clue suggesting that it would arrive as early as this year.

▼ The hype train is real.

Looks like the initial European translations for Pokemon Switch are planned to be completed between April - June. T… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

A peek at available job openings at The Pokémon Company International career page reveals that they’re currently looking for French, German, Italian and Spanish localisation editors who will work closely with freelance translators.

Successful applicants will sign a contract lasting at least six months, with work scheduled to commence between April and June. Which, incidentally, also coincides with the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to be held in June 2018.

▼ CEO of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, also dropped a big hint that they were working on a “core RPG Pokémon title” at last year’s E3.

All these point to a potential brand new Pokémon Switch game reveal at E3 2018, after which localisation would likely begin in earnest.

So when will the title be released? Going by the six-month contract for localisation editors starting from June, an optimistic ballpark estimate would be in December 2018, just in time for Christmas if things go smoothly.

Another good guess would be 27 February 2019, which would be just as awesome since it’s actually Pokémon’s birthday. Either way, it won’t be long before our adventures with trusty buddy Pikachu begin once again.